For many years the predominant engine used for vehicles has been the reciprocating engine. While the concept of a rotary engine is superior to reciprocating valve engines for many reasons, there have been inherent problems with the specific applications of rotary engines which have been attempted. The major problem with prior attempts at the rotary engine have been related to the effective and reliable sealing of the cylinder where the forces from combustion eventually overcome the sealing means used.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that this invention has applications not only for engines, but also for pumps and compressors, even though an engine will be referred to and used throughout this specification.
Objects of this invention are without limitation:
1. To provide an engine wherein the net effective valve opening is increased and is superior.
2. To provide an engine wherein traditional poppet valves are eliminated.
3. To provide an engine which achieves the superior rotation features of a rotary engine and thereby eliminates the acceleration, deceleration, reversal, re-acceleration, deceleration and seating that a traditional poppet valve engine continually undergoes.
4. To provide an engine which maintains a maximum orifice opening due to the rotary motion, and which consequently results in more crank degrees than in traditional poppet valve engine. PA0 5. To provide an engine wherein the number of valves needed to achieve a certain power level is greatly minimized, and consequently, the need for valve seals, valve keepers, valve springs, buckets, valve guides and cam shafts is likewise greatly reduced or eliminated. PA0 6. To provide an engine wherein the required overall mass of the engine is substantially reduced, as compared to a typical reciprocating engine. PA0 7. To provide an engine wherein the vibration of the engine is greatly reduced as compared to the vibration experienced in a reciprocating engine. This reduction in vibration further results in greatly minimizing or eliminating the need for counter-weighting and balancing, and thereby maximizes the overall balance and durability of the engine. PA0 8. To substantially increase the overall efficiency of the engine as compared to a traditional poppet valve engine. PA0 9. To provide a more efficient combustion chamber by greatly reducing or eliminating complex shapes, by reducing crevice volumes and thereby achieving faster gas flow rates. PA0 10. To provide an engine configuration which achieves more efficient cooling and larger flow paths by having embodiment options which may configure the cylinders and the rotary valves as thermally separate from one another. PA0 11. To provide an engine wherein the surface-to-volume ratio is minimized, thereby minimizing emission levels and the heat transfer per cycle. PA0 12. To provide an engine configuration wherein the flame front utilizes a substantially shorter path than in typical reciprocating engines. PA0 13. To provide an engine wherein the need for a head gasket is eliminated, which thereby has the advantages of also eliminating the leaks, failures and large crevice volumes associated with head gaskets. PA0 14. To provide an engine wherein the number of components or parts needed in the engine and the combustion chamber is minimized, which also has the advantage of minimizing crevice volumes. PA0 15. To provide an engine in which the size of the cylinder head is minimized and the overall mass and volume of the engine is minimized. PA0 16. To provide an engine which eliminates the side-to-side swing motion of the piston rod which occurs in a typical reciprocating engine, which also serves to eliminate of side loads on the piston. This invention achieves this object by utilizing a piston motion which is co-linear with the cylinder, combined with a rotation system for maintaining the piston rod and piston head properly aligned within the cylinder. PA0 17. To provide an engine which minimizes the effective length of the exhaust path, which consequently minimizes the heat transfer within the engine. PA0 18. To provide an engine which maximizes the air intake, which is achieved by positioning the air intake at the spin or rotational center of the engine, the engine being a centrifugal device. Therefore, higher revolutions per minute act analogously to a supercharger in increasing flow efficiency, overall engine efficiency and the miles per gallon the engine can achieve in a vehicle. PA0 19. To provide an engine wherein the centrifugal effects of the rotary motion increases the natural flow of exhaust as the rotational motion will naturally tend to move the exhaust radially out of the combustion chamber. Achieving this objective has the further advantage of reducing the tendency to create back pressure. PA0 20. To provide an engine wherein the need for a crank or torsion damper is eliminated, which also results from the minimal crank length utilized by this invention. PA0 21. To provide an engine which has embodiment options which may eliminate the need to use castings to manufacture the engine, which this invention achieves due to its unique configuration and design. PA0 22. To provide an engine which reduces emissions, which is expected to be accomplished by this invention by the reduction of valve overlap, achieving superior volumetric combustion efficiency, achieving a faster burn and by reducing crevice volumes. PA0 23. To provide an engine which can run more efficiently than typical reciprocating engines at higher revolutions per minute. This is achieved through the improved overall engine balance of its mass, the supercharging effect of the centrifugal motion, the general engine configuration, and the reduction or elimination of the need for counters weights. PA0 24. To provide an engine which maximizes power and torque, which is achieved through the numerous advantages and achievements stated above. PA0 25. To provide an engine which minimizes the necessary length of the crank shaft, which in turn minimizes the flex of the crank shaft. PA0 26. To provide an engine in which the spacing between the bearings is minimized or reduced, which provides for a more stable engine with less vibration.